LSS
Lutheran Social Services of the Red River Valley * Type: 'A not-for-profit corporation coordinating hundreds of different individual local health and metahuman service organizations affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of North America. *'Headquarters: 'National headquarters is in Washington FDC , local headquarters at 2624 9th Ave S, Fargo, RRDMZ 58103. *'Leadership: 'Bishop (ret.) Emily Matthews, CEO LSS-National. Kara Hoffman, Board Chair, LSS-DMZ. *'Mission: ''"At Lutheran Social Services of the Red River Valley, we are driven by our mission to bring healing, help and hope to those in need. Every day our dedicated staff and volunteers are guided by our vision and strategic initiatives to bring our mission to life as we work to provide the help people need, when and where they need it. Whether we are serving children, teenagers, parents, grandparents or entire communities, our goal is that those we serve will be strengthened for life. We invite you to learn more about the programs and services we offer and get involved in supporting the work we do and the people we serve."'' ' *'History: '''LSS-RRDMZ was formed from Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota, which can trace its roots back to 1919, when the Lutheran Children’s Finding Society was formed to establish, maintain and conduct receiving homes for orphans, homeless, abandoned, neglected and dependent children. Across the decades, from the Great Depression to the Awakening, through the social changes of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, to the challenges of today, their services have expanded to meet the changing needs of individuals, families and communities across North Dakota. When what had been the UCAS state of North Dakota was ceded to the Oceti Sakowin, laws preventing foreign religious organizations from operating in the Oceti Sakowin prompted LSS-ND to repurpose itself to serve the unique needs of the newly-formed Red River Disputed Military Zone under the auspices of the Northwestern Minnesota Synod of the ELCNA. *'Services: 'LSS still organizes its programs into six service areas that represent the work they do in some of the most critical issues in the Zone today: Early Beginnings, Youth Interventions, Therapy Services, Senior Independence, Affordable Housing and Humanitarian Services (which includes refugee resettlement, foster care for unaccompanied refugee minors, disaster response, interpreter services, immigration Services and therapeutic foster care). It is in this last area that LSS is probably best known, having been responsible for many waves of refugee relocation that have shaped what the face of Fargo looks like, mostly recently Yanomami seeking refuge from the ongoing war in the Amazon. *'Partnerships: Although LSS cannot operate directly in the Oceti Sakowin, they have long-standing partnerships with their counterparts in the Badger Medicine Society, a healing organization that focuses on the care of orphans and childhood health in the Oceti Sakowin, and the White Deer Dancers, an emergency medical aid organization operating out of the Niswi-mishkodewinan. The LSS also has a working partnership with the Minneapolis branch of the Draco Foundation, largely through the patronage of Rev. Katherine Grace, Bishop of the ELCNA's Minneapolis Synod, who sits on the MSPlex local Draco Foundation board. Return to: ReligionCategory:Culture Category:Business Category:Religion